Retrospective - Chinese Opera Masterpieces on Screen
The Red Detachment of Women
红色娘子军 (Hongse Niangzijun) by PAN Wenzhan and FU Jie
China / 1970 / 107' / 35 mm / Color
Starring:LIU Qingtang, JINGHUA Xue, CHEN Song, XINYING Li
Director of Photography: LI Wenhua
Background
A cult film, The Red Detachment of Women is inspired by a true story, which took place in the thirties on the Hainan Island. Highlighting the Cultural Revolution, this celebrated ballet consists of eight exemplary works authorized during this period. When the film was shown in France in 1972, it produced an equally strong reaction. Far from being just simple coverage of a ballet, this film uses all of the available cinematic styles to emphasize the representation of the radical China that was desired by Mao and China's First Lady JIANG Qin. It also shows the main revolutionary values - equality among men, emancipation of women, giving your life for freedom, and sacrifice for a brighter future - that are underlined throughout the ballet. Since 1964, Jiang QUNG has been adapting classical opera to revolutionary themes to illustrate Mao's desire to reform opera according to the revolutionary conventions whilst also drawing from the recent history of the party, establishing an authentic role of both male and female working class heroes. This highly symbolic propaganda film was shown to Richard Nixon on his historic visit to China in 1972; it was also screened at the Venice Film Festival in 1971.
Synopsis
In the early 30's, the civil war is raging. On the Island of Hainan, a young peasant girl, WU Qionghua, tries to escape from the despotic landlord Nan who killed her father. Captured by bandits, she is left for dead in the woods. HONG Changqing, a communist commissar, finds her and shows her the path to the Red region where Mao's Army is based. Wu goes there and incorporates a battalion, entirely comprised of women. An attack against Nan fails partly because of WU's desire for revenge. A political debate sorts out this situation but Nan's gang, allied with soldiers from Kuomintang attacks the Red Army's camp. Hong bravely sacrifices himself to slow down their offense and ends up being killed by Nan's sword. After his death the Red army frees the village, Nan is killed, and Wu is appointed a Captain of the Party. Many workers then join the Red Army.
PAN Wenzhan 潘文展(1942-)
Born In the province of Hebei, he studied at the LunXun academy in Yanan and at the Academy of Cinema in Peking. From 1983, he took part in the anti-Japanese revolution and the national liberation. He also worked as an actor and a teacher. Since 1963, he has worked at the Peking Studio as a director. His main films are Ma la hua (1960), The Red Detachment of Women, and Su Xiao San (1981).
Filmography
- Pan Wenzhan 潘文展
Director:
- Su Xiao San 苏小三 (1981)
- Le Détachement féminin rouge / The Red Detachment of Women 红色娘子军 (Hong se niang zi jun) (1970)
- Ma La Hua 马兰花 (1960)
- The Wise Man 聪明的人 (Cong mng de ren) (1958)
Screenwriter:
- Food 粮食 (Liang shi) (1959)
- Fu Jie 傅杰
Director:
- The Man Who Was Accused 被控告的人 (Bei kong gao de ren) (1983)
- Ailipu and Sainaimu 艾里甫与赛乃姆 (Ailipu yu Sainaimu) (1981)
- Hundreds of flowers in bloom 百花争艳 (Bai hua zheng yan) (1976)
- Children Of The Grassland 草原儿女 (Cao yuan er nu) (1975)
- Le Détachement féminin rouge / The Red Detachment of Women 红色娘子军 (Hong se niang zi jun) (1970)
- Hongshi Zhong Sheng 红石钟声 (1966)
- Fen Shui Chang Liu 汾水长流 (1963)
- Chun Nuan Hua Kai 春暖花开 (1960)
Screenwriter:
- Chun Nuan Hua Kai 春暖花开 (1960)